At least three more House Democrats called on President Joe Biden to withdraw of the presidential race on Thursday after his first solo press conference in the months following the NATO summit.
Although Biden team felt optimistic about your performanceIt was unclear whether he has done enough to repair the damage with members of his party fearing he no longer has what it takes to defeat donald trump and will be effective for another four years.
Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., praised Biden as “an outstanding leader of unparalleled public service” but said it was time to go.
“The 2024 elections will define the future of American democracy, and we must present the strongest candidate possible to confront the threat posed by Trump’s promised MAGA authoritarianism,” Himes said in a statement. “I no longer believe he is Joe Biden, and I hope that, as he has done over a lifetime of public service, he continues to put our nation first and, as he promised, pave the way for a new generation of leaders.”
Biden was asked about this promise during Thursday’s press conference and said that he needed to “finish” the work entrusted to him, arguing that he did not realize “the seriousness of the situation that I inherited in terms of the economy, our politics external and internal”. division” before taking office.
Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif., said in his own post-press conference statement that Biden’s Debate Performance Last Month “it wasn’t a blip” and that polls in swing states have “worsened alarmingly” since then.
“Today I ask President Biden to withdraw from the presidential campaign. The stakes are high and we are on a losing course. My conscience demands that I speak out and put loyalty to country and democracy ahead of my great affection and loyalty to the President and those around him,” Peters said in a statement. “We must find a candidate from our talent pool who can defeat Donald Trump.”
Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Ill., who is running for re-election in a competitive district in November, said he is “hopeful that President Biden will step away from his campaign for president” and be replaced by “a candidate for president who will communicate a positive vision for every person in this country.”
“In 2020, Joe Biden ran for president with the purpose of putting country above party. Today, I ask you to do it again,” Sorensen said in a statement.
But despite the new opposition, Biden’s team felt good about their press conference and confident that it could curb defections and reassure Democratic skeptics.
A source in Biden’s orbit said the news conference was supposed to comfort open-minded skeptics who had legitimate doubts after the debate about Biden’s ability to fight Trump, offer a second-term vision and lay out his contrasts with Trump in Project 2025abortion rights, gun safety legislation and a fairer economic system.
Biden’s world believes he got it right, the source said.
But one Democratic official, who was banned from speaking publicly about the political dynamics of Biden’s press conference, said he “has done nothing to reassure Democrats that he understands how dire their political situation is or that he has a realistic plan to win.” ”.
“He seemed more comfortable talking about foreign policy issues like NATO, issues that swing voters in swing states don’t care about — at all,” the Democratic official said. “He also had no message for the future. The case he presented for re-election was all about achievements from two years ago.”
With the presidential nominating conventions approaching, a Democratic leadership aide said time is running out to sustain the intraparty fight.
“The following week, when [lawmakers] are back, it’s the final make-or-break moment,” said the source. “If Biden remains at this point, we will have to unite around him.”
This article was originally published in NBCNews. with
